


Orange Squeeze

by OldWomanJosie



Category: Leverage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-02
Updated: 2014-10-02
Packaged: 2018-02-19 16:06:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2394551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OldWomanJosie/pseuds/OldWomanJosie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some reflection on why Hardison drinks Orange Squeeze.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Orange Squeeze

Orange Squeeze, official drink of the Leverage team, as distinctive as the knife-fighting style of Marine Force Recon. Squeeze is the trademark of master geek Alec Hardison. But what is it about Orange Squeeze that makes it so alluring, so necessary to his function that he has to stock the HQ shelves and fridge with nothing but? There are many theories, many thoughts, many ideas, but only one is the truth.

Maybe the attraction is purely sensual. The color, perhaps: orange is a vibrant, stimulating color. Less than the intensity of red and more than the softness of yellow. Or it might be the taste. The singular, slightly metallic taste of Squeeze's orange dye and flavoring and the bright sunny sparkle of the tiny bubbles of carbonation across his tongue. No substitutes will do and heaven help you if you buy diet. The smell, the look, the feel of it, who knows. No matter what it is, it's special to him. There's got to be something inspiring about the familiar sight of that gently rounded bottle of orange liquid sitting next to his computer, spurring him on to greater heights of thievery and techno magic. Not to mention the caffeine content, a very helpful tool on late night jobs and busy heists with little time for sleep.

But then again, maybe it's not sensual at all. Maybe it's a personal, emotional reason. Some pleasant memory or feeling that he associates with good old Orange Squeeze. After a long afternoon of knocking on doors, his Nana would buy him a Squeeze and a snack cake and they'd sit on the porch and talk. A cherished childhood memory. And now, as an adult, he drinks Squeeze in memorial to his foster mother/grandmother, reminding him why he fights and that he wasn't always a crook.

It could be as simple as provoking an enemy. Hardison's archnemisis, Colin Mason, the genius formerly known as Chaos, drinks Cherry Squeeze. Maybe Chaos is even allergic to oranges, maybe he hates the color. Could it be that, when they first got to know each other and when their rivalry began, Hardison took up Orange Squeeze to deliberately irritate his rival? Another possibility to consider.

Then again, maybe there is no answer to the question, no rhyme or reason to the selection. He randomly walks into a convenience store and picks up the last soda in the case. He's thirsty, it's handy, there's no conscious thought involved. One drink and he's in love. He never figures out why. Odds are he's never thought about it himself. Sitting around pondering his drink of choice would hardly be a favorite past-time, not with a heist afoot and Sterling always three steps behind. 

Once again, there are dozens of schools of thought, theories and ideas about the reasons behind Alec Hardison's obsessive drinking of this fizzy orange beverage. There may be a true reason, there may not. Sometimes there's no interpreting the bond between a man and his soft drink.


End file.
